Jump to content

Hmmmm.....where Do I Start?


joysterm

2,099 views

blog-0207262001377622560.jpgFirst I would like to thank the members who have taken time to view my post and for those who have posted comments, I really appreciate your feedback as I start this process. I will endeavor to contact you to ask more questions about your experiences, so again many thanks.

I am sure that those who have taken on projects such as this have had as many questions as I do. Right now, HOW AND WHERE the best place to start, are a couple that I am struggling with. Over the past few weeks I have been glued to my screen trying to research and find as many restos as possible. Trying to get some idea what to do to inject some life into my '02 and more importantly as I mentioned....where to start.

My goal at the end of all this is a car that I can drive. At the risk of offending the true restoration community I want to update the car to handle, brake and perform better than the original. I wish to take advantage of the current technology to accomplish this, without destroying the car's soul.

I thought to accomplish this I will try to find as many Tii parts as is economically possible to accomplish this in part. I realize now in searching out some parts that this maybe somewhat difficult both from a practical point of view and certainly from an economic one. I live in BC and the access to parts is somewhat limited without huge shipping costs. However I have property in Washington State so I can get around some of the shipping concerns to a lesser degree. Having said that, I guess I am looking for some feedback on your experiences in your personal builds so I can avoid what I can now see are only more questions.

The current status of the car is this:

blogentry-45625-0-84056100-1377622916_th

Engine:

It is on the bench. The short block has been completely rebuilt with OEM pistons and rings, crank has been polished, the head is been done as well with new springs , valves have been reground. It head still remains off the block.

My goal is to get at least another 25-30 HP out of this block. My dilemma is what to do and where. My research has led me to changing out the cam, with better carburation and higher compression. I want to change out the transmission to a 5 speed. (The current 4 speed has its syncros replaced as will be up for sale when I get some of this figured out).

What setup to use is I guess the first question that needs to be addressed. The other one that I have not quite figured out yet is where to find a trusted mechanic to do the work. I reached out to the local "02 community but to date have had not a great deal of feedback so I continue to beat the bushes.

In the meantime I will wait to make these decisions so I can concentrate on what I believe maybe the first step.

Suspension:

Currently the stock suspension and brakes remain intact. Here I would like to add the Tii components both to the front and rear sub frames. Again I am not sure what is the best plan. I am looking for better braking and handling. With the possible option of adding Tii suspension, I am finding parts rather rare in this area and the cost of shipping some of the main components just to expensive. I have seen some projects using E21 & 30 as an alternative so I maybe forced to use that as a fallback.

Interior:

blogentry-45625-0-93328600-1377621897_thblogentry-45625-0-05612100-1377620745_th

Have not decided to upgrade the seats or use the stock seats which are in mint condition.

blogentry-45625-0-27233100-1377621778_thblogentry-45625-0-30401300-1377621737_th

Body and Paint:

blogentry-45625-0-00877500-1377620986_thblogentry-45625-0-08090700-1377621086_th

Overall the only rust on this car is just below the A & B post of the car. It appears to be only surface and should not be an issue. Overall condition of the paint is very good, still lots of life but there are a few areas that need some body work and paint. I thought about a total repaint but I have received some feedback recently that I should reconsider this approach. So yet another question to ponder. That said, there are a number of good shops in my area but still not have approached anyone to do the work. Remains on the back burner at this stage.

blogentry-45625-0-22181500-1377621411_thblogentry-45625-0-28397100-1377621446_th

Anyway that's where it stands at this point. On with the research and thanks for taking the time to read this.

Until later......

1 Comment


Recommended Comments

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Upcoming Events

×
×
  • Create New...